yakety-yak

When it comes to reaching milestones, Garrett has always been somewhat of a late bloomer. He didn't start crawling until two weeks before his first birthday, walking steadily came at around sixteen months, and, because he apparently preferred showing off his abs of steel, rolling over (from his back to tummy) didn't come until shortly after that. And where he has taken longer to develop a new skill, he has always made up for lost time by mastering it more quickly. I assumed, then, that talking would follow a similar pattern.

So far, it has, and because I know Garrett and am familiar with his way of doing things, I haven't let myself worry too much. Since he said his first word almost a year ago, he's learned a sprinkling of additional words -- enough to keep my concern stabilized, but still leaving me curious as to when he'd really take off.

The subject of his speech came up at his recent well check-up. When the doctor asked how well he was talking, I told him, honestly, that while he continues to learn and use new words, he seems to have fallen behind his peers in this department. I guess I didn't realize that my concern over this had, in fact, risen, because I was overwhelmingly reassured when he seemed satisfied that, while he might not be talking much, his level of understanding seems to be right where it should be. A perfect example of this can be seen when I ask him where various body parts are. He might not say the words, but he'll show me he understands my questions by pointing -- correctly -- to his eyes, his hair, his belly button, etc.

Garrett might take his time, but he is not stupid. He is incredibly observant and knows exactly what is going on around him. Still, though, for reasons beyond his toddler development (like, say, the fact that I'm getting really tired of listening to him grunt and whine as he hangs on the refrigerator door), I'm really anxious for him to pick up this talking business a bit faster. Things did start to take off a little more after his second birthday, in part, I'm hoping, because of my diligence in working with and encouraging him, and I imagine that this trend will continue. I sometimes wonder if the arrival of his baby brother will be what sends his talking ability right over the edge, if only as a means of swaying our attention away from the baby and back to him -- a survival tactic, if you will.

I made a list the other day of the words Garrett knows and uses on a fairly regular basis. Some words, of course, he'll use more than others, and some seem to have faded to the background of his vocabulary. But if he has said it, unprompted and more than once, whether or not he still does, I included it on the list.

Garrett's Words, age 25 months

FOOD: cookie, drink, all done/all gone, cheese, cheese-cheese (macaroni and cheese), pop (popcorn), water, banana, apple

ANIMALS: dog, woof, baa (sheep), cow, moo, oink, duck, quack, roar, bak-bak (chicken), tweet-tweet (bird)

PEOPLE: dad, mama, Neenee (Lindsay), mimi (mama/Lindsay), Garrett, baby, Henry (his cousin), Elizabeth (his friend. His word for her sounds nothing like Elizabeth, but he's consistent, so I'm counting it.)

EXCLAMATIONS: hello, uh-oh, yes, yeah, no, oh no, please, thank you, go, PU! (he plugs his nose when he says this), stinky, whoa, wow, beep, again

ROUTINES: new di-di (new diaper), done (amen), bathtub, blanket

PLAY: ball, blocks, whee! (slide)

TRANSPORTATION: choo choo! (train), bus, car

There may be a word or two that I've inadvertently left off, but, honestly, this list could be outdated tomorrow anyway.

Because he usually only talks when he wants to, and not when I want him to, it's been hard to capture his words on video. I had some luck, however, late last week, when he asked me -- please -- for a cookie:

Really, how could anyone say no to a face like that?